Happy Monday! Today Venus and Saturn are opposite and the Sun and Mars are now within one degree of a perfect conjunction.

Venus and Saturn:

* A time of increased commitment* Conflicts in love and relationships* Opportunities to study and love* Clashes between ideological or philosophical points of view* Openings for new relationships or bonds* Allegiances and carefully planned pr or marketing strategies* Public appearance and intolerance vs. tolerance* Women and authority, women in power* The challenge from a woman to an old man or a tradition* Distorting the truth out of vanity or the desire for something beautiful or indulgent* Ending relationships or severing friendships

Meanwhile, more on the Sun and Mars...

Some astrologers have traditionally considered a planet to be cazimi anywhere within less than one degree of the conjunction to the Sun, while others measure it between 15 or 17 minutes of the perfect conjunction. In this astrologer's opinion, the best measurement is the observation of events (both inner and outer) that start taking place when the Sun is within the one-degree range. Around this time I have generally observed that the planet in question will start to go from a place of frustration, weakness, or debilitation to one of greater strength and empowerment. Neither of which are really any "better" than another. We have to learn how to think about dignities in terms of the material world circumstances they describe and not the inherent spiritual value of the things they describe.

With Mars moving into its Cazimi over the next two days, here's what to watch for:

* Empowerment* Courage* Strength* A vote of confidence from someone in power* An alignment of values, heart, and courage* The importance of truth vs hyper subjectivity* The importance of a mission* Given the resources to do something great* Finding support from men, warriors, leaders, authority figures* Militarism, strength, muscle, power* Intimidation, a powerful impression* The power to commit and see something through* Rebirth of our faith, stamina, a second wind* Surrender of our will to a higher will, cause, or power* The tenacity to do what we know we must* A time of renewal

In this day and age, the truth has become offensive. We don't speak the truth, we don't represent the truth, we don't articulate the truth, we don't stand in the truth, we don't practice the truth, we don't commit to the truth, because the idea of truth has become dangerous. Truth outside of our ability to decide what truth is for ourselves is intolerable. So we tend to equate truth with autonomy and personal choice or liberty. The problem with this is that when truth is something radically personal and autonomous, we are still making an objective truth claim about the nature of truth. We are saying that truth is subjective. But, how do we know truth is subjective? We say it's because we prefer it that way! Or we say it's because one can't ever really know how one has been conditioned, etc.

When we elevate all different kinds of conditioning to this level, along with an emphasis on personal freedom, we are creating a new dogma about the nature of truth, and it is intimately connected to the rise of two extremes: one is the fake news, or the never-ending perceptual maze, as though life is just one big dream and you get to decide how to interpret it, each person interprets differently, and so the only things we agree upon are functional and material, or two is the holy-war mentality...disgusted by the total disregard for truth and in seeing the constant distortion of truth for the purpose of selfish material ambitions, we take up "hyper-objective" extremes...the one truth, the only truth, the truth that will sober, annihilate, or awaken all the drunk-on-untruth "whatever truth is to you" masses.

Mars at the heart of the Sun asks us to find and locate real truth, and real authority, in the heart. When we find real truth in the heart, then we find alongside it the authority, power, and courage to walk that truth, free from the need to either convert others to our point of view or to falsely condone what we do not share or support as the truth.

It is perhaps most radical to consider the idea that truth needs no advocates. Truth needs no advocates, but we need the truth. When we recognize and humbly reorient the power dynamic between ourselves and truths, we become servants of truth, rather than perceiving truth as something that we can own or possess, or as something weak and in need of our best fight or defense. When we reorient and reverse the power dynamic between ourselves and truth, then we pass over the temptation to view each other AS competing truths, our truths like angry or paranoid property lines, and we learn to see each other as people who are all equally called to serve. First to serve truth, and then to serve each other in the spirit of our devotion to truth.​Prayer: How long has it been since we recognized your true names? Emanating from your true names, show us your love, peace, patience, and kindness. Speak truth to all the power we think we need, all the power we think we hold. Speak truth to us and teach us how to serve rather than fight for or defend "our" truth.

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Author

Adam Elenbaas is a professional astrologer and the founder of the Nightlight Astrology School. Adam holds an MA and MFA in English and Creative Writing and is one of the founding writers at RealitySandwich. To learn more about Adam, click here.